ATC orders Musharraf to appear in Bugti murder case

Published November 10, 2014
Former president Pervez Musharraf.   -Reuters/file
Former president Pervez Musharraf. -Reuters/file
Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.   -Dawn file photo
Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. -Dawn file photo

QUETTA: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta rejecting a medical report of former president Pervez Musharraf ordered him to appear before the court in the next hearing of the case over the death of elderly Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti

The court rejected the medical report of the former president and asked his lawyer to ensure his presence in the next hearing.

Nawab Akbar Bugti was killed in an operation in Balochistan's Kohlu district on August 26, 2006. His murder had sparked violent protests in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan and life had remained paralysed for more than a week.

Nawab Bugti's son Jamil Akbar Bugti had nominated Musharraf, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz and other high-ups in the murder case of his father.

Judge of the ATC in his remarks warned that bail of former president would be cancelled if he failed to appear before the court on December 10.

Former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and former home minister Balochistan Mir Shoaib Nowsherwani appeared in court for today's hearing.

The two former ministers requested the court to separate their case from the former president's case.

"The former president has not been appearing in the court therefore we request the court to separate our case," their counsels pleaded.

The court however accepted Pervez Musharraf's application of one day's exemption before the court on Monday and adjourned the next hearing of the case until December 10.

Strict security arrangements were adopted around the court premises by the administration due to the presence of the former ministers.

Former military dictator Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf has been living in Karachi since April this year and has been facing a barrage of cases including a high treason case for imposing an emergency in Nov 2007 in which the former president has been indicted, the Lal Masjid case and the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

He has been granted bail in most of the cases but his name remains included in the Exit Control List (ECL).

Nawab Bugti had served as governor, chief minister and federal minister. He was considered to be one of the seasoned politicians of the country. During last days of his life, Bugti formed a four party alliance to defend Baloch rights and resources.

Opinion

Editorial

Political sacrifice
Updated 30 Nov, 2023

Political sacrifice

Imran deserves praise for displaying political maturity in handling party's chairmanship transition.
‘Quick-fix’ nation
30 Nov, 2023

‘Quick-fix’ nation

THE impulse for policy prescriptions that will quickly ‘fix’ the rotten economy, create tens of hundreds of jobs...
Narcotics menace
30 Nov, 2023

Narcotics menace

WE are watching a tragedy unfold — the curse of substance abuse and addiction hits every fourth household in...
Sindh lawlessness
29 Nov, 2023

Sindh lawlessness

GOVERNMENTS come and go, but little has been done to control rampant crime across Sindh, particularly its lawless...
New compact
29 Nov, 2023

New compact

AS elections approach ever closer without any tangible improvement in the political atmosphere, there has been a...
Climate crossroads
Updated 29 Nov, 2023

Climate crossroads

As Pakistan presents its case at COP28, the focus must be on ensuring that the L&D fund.